White Pine Bay Chronicles: Marion
by scarsgirl
Summary: There's a new girl in town... This is the first in a series that I will posting over the coming months about the people of White Pine Bay. Please read the trigger warnings at the beginning of the story before you proceed.


*Trigger Warnings* and Author's Notes-Please Read!

- This series contains references to past parent/child abuse and incest and sibling incest.

- There are also many references to mental illnesses, specifically Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). I have researched the disorder, but am in no way an expert, so please forgive any mistakes made on my part in the treatment and care of the disorder.

- Gender Identity - As a result of his DID Norman has an alter who is female. When Norman is Norma I refer to her as a female because that is how she would expect to be addressed. Sorry, if the names cause any confusion, but just remember the series takes place after Norma's death, so if anyone is interacting with Norma, it's the alter.

- There are several other stories that I have written for this series that I will be publishing over the next few weeks/months. Several of this stories crossover to other fandoms, but hopefully you will be able to enjoy them with just a quick wiki-search, if the crossover is not something you are familiar with.

-And lastly, you should know that this series is totally self-indulgent wish fulfillment on my part, so each story is different in tone and subject matter.

- Even though these stories are self-indulgent I do enjoy comments and/or kudos, so if you like these stories -let me know!

- Thanks for reading!

* * *

-Marion-

"What do you think so far?" Sheriff Massett asked cautiously as they made their way out of the city limits.

Marion nodded, "I think I could definitely get used to it. It's not L.A., but it has it charm." She offered, forcing a tired smile.

Sheriff Massett's answering smile, well, grimace was just as tired-looking. Marion couldn't really blame him though. She was exhausted from a day spent touring the town and doing introductions. She had attempted to beg off Sheriff Massett's invitation after stopping for a late afternoon snack, but to no avail. He'd basically ordered her to come to his house for dinner and then proceeded to keep eyes on her all afternoon. She had the distinct feeling that he thought she might attempt to slip away if he gave her the chance.

Slip away to where, she had no idea. It wasn't like she had another option. Conviction or not she was considered a dirty cop now and there wasn't a police precinct on the west coast that had been willing to even talk to her. Well, except for the White Pine Bay Sheriff's Department. She looked at the dashboard clock and winced. She'd promised to call Lila after getting off work. Hopefully, she'd get a minute to send a text so her sister wouldn't be worried when the call didn't come.

The sheriff was quiet as he drove. His stoic silence had been welcome during most of their tour today, but she was starting to find it a little grating as they drove further and further from the main streets of the town. "So, you live this far out, out of the city limits, I mean?"

The sheriff huffed, "That's not the first question people usually ask when they find out I still live at home."

She felt her face heat. That had been her first thought and if it had been any other day, any other circumstance, it would have been her first question, especially after finding out that the sheriff's brother, Norman, also still lived at home.

"My sister and I shared an apartment until she got engaged. I guess it just didn't seem that strange and uh..." She needed to tread lightly here.

"And my brother's kind of weird, so it made sense that I would be kind of weird too."

"I've lived in L.A. since I was ten. A taxidermist really doesn't register as all that strange."

"Yeah, I guess not." The sheriff said as they pulled in next to a neon sign advertising temperature-controlled storage rooms.

"This used to be my family's motel, but we had to convert it when all the traffic dried up," He explained.

"Oh," She could see it now. What had been motel rooms were now boarded up and padlocked. "I suppose no one's going to try breaking in with the Sheriff's truck in the parking lot."

"That's not the only reason, but it probably helps." The sheriff's voice sounded like he was making a joke that Marion wouldn't quite catch.

She felt her brows drop trying to meet one another in what Lila called her 'WTH face'. Her cop senses were tingling, something was definitely up with her new boss.

She tried to shake off the feeling and focus on getting through the next couple of hours, but it flooded back full force when her eyes found a set of stairs carved into the side of a hill that led up to what had to be the creepiest fucking house she had ever seen.

"Home, sweet home," The Sheriff's said, his tone more than a little mocking. Apparently, she hadn't hid her reaction well at all.

"Come on. Might as well get this over with," The Sheriff said getting out of the cruiser.

She followed him as he made his way up the stairs, just a step behind. Partly out of respect to the Sheriff and partly to give herself some space to move. Something was setting her teeth on edge.

"I noticed you earlier, that's how I knew I'd made the right choice." The Sheriff said, sounding way too cryptic for her tastes.

"Huh?"

The sheriff looked over his shoulder at her when he reached the first landing, "At Norman's shop. You knew something was off, stayed aware of your surroundings. You need to keep that edge. Don't let your guard down just because we're not L.A.," He turned back to the steps and this time as she followed him she was several steps behind.

"I'll keep that in mind, Sir," She said as her hand floated to her gun belt. She wasn't sure what was happening right now or why the Sheriff was so tense, but she believed in being prepared and listening to her gut.

"Now, there are a few things you need to remember. First, I will never send Norma to find you. Not for any reason, no matter what she says, Norman maybe, but never her."

Had she missed some part of their conversation?

"Now, she'll be pissy cause you're here without notice, but I want her on her worst behavior, it'll give you a chance to see her mannerisms, the way she talks. She's getting better at passing as Norman, but if you look, you'll see something."

She halted at the base of the stairs leading up the the porch, half-tempted to make a run for the car. The man was obviously insane.

"That leads me to the second thing, if Norma does come to you," He turned seemingly unsurprised that she hadn't followed him onto the porch, "run."

"Dylan, who are you talking to?" Marion jumped as the door to the house opened and Norman appeared. The knot in her stomach loosened as she watched Norman practically float out onto the porch in a lovely floral print dress and heels. Was this what the Sheriff had been worried about? Her reaction to his brother dressing like someone's mom?

Maybe in White Pine Bay that was a shocker, but for her that was a Tuesday.

"Hey Mom," The sheriff said, turning to give Norman a kiss on his cheek.

Okay, so he called his brother mom. Maybe that rated a little higher than a Tuesday, but she'd definitely seen stranger.

"Who's your friend?" The false kindness in Norman's voice made it clear that not only was he displeased with Marion's presence, he or she, wanted Marion to know it.

"Mom, this is Marion Crane, she's my new deputy. I invited her to dinner."

"Oh, that's nice," Norman smiled widely, "I do wish you had told me. I'm not sure I fixed enough..."

"You always fix too much anyway, Norma," Sheriff Massett said as he walked around Norman and into the house.

"Mmm, I suppose I do," Norman's eyes were icy when they met hers. "I hope you like meatloaf," she enthused, all false cheer.

Marion nodded, "Love it!" She said striding up the stairs and sliding past Norman and into the house.

"So, how would you like to be addressed?" She asked Norman as she passed through another doorway. Her years on the beat had taught her that it was best to ask rather than assume.

Norman's stance softened somewhat as he shut the door behind them. The sheriff had walked into the main hall of the house and was taking off his coat and shoes by a coat rack. "Norma will do. And you, Miss Crane?"

"Marion's fine," She said, following the Sheriff's lead and leaving her coat, shoes and gun belt on the coat rack. She smiled at Norma as she walked by, then followed Sheriff Massett down the hall toward the smell of onions and ketchup. She laughed at herself for being so worried. This wasn't going to be a problem for her at all.

* * *

Dinner had been amazing. Her diet of lean cuisines and fast food was going to be tough to swallow after this and the company had been nice too. Norma was perfectly charming, once they settled in to dinner and her relationship with the Sheriff, though a little _Chinatown_, reminded her a great deal of her own family.

She'd have to give the Sheriff hell for hazing her in the morning, but for now she just wanted to enjoy getting to know her boss and his brother...mother...whatever.

Norma excused herself with a pile of dishes promising to be back with dessert in a minute, giving her and the sheriff their first moment alone since arriving at the house. The sheriff lost some of his ease as Norma disappeared behind a swinging door and into the kitchen. "They call it Dissociative Identity Disorder, if you're wondering?"

"Believe it or not I've seen it before, just once, but I'm familiar enough with the condition, you didn't need to try and scare me."

The sheriff's eyes hardened, "I wasn't trying to scare you. I'm trying to prepare you. She's on her best behavior tonight, but that could change on a dime. She's a lot like original recipe Norma that way."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand."

"That Norma in the kitchen is, I guess you would say, a version of my mother as Norman's mind saw her." So, Norma, well another Norma, was Dylan's mother?

"Oh," She didn't exactly know what to say to that. From what she understood most people suffering from DID had developed the condition after years of physical and sexual trauma, usually at the hands of their parents.

"It wasn't Norma. She wouldn't have hurt a hair on Norman's head," The sheriff hesitated, turning his attention toward the kitchen door. She could tell he was listening as Norma busied herself in the kitchen. "It was Norman's dad, my stepfather. I guess mom was kind of cold to him and he decided Norman would make up for it."

Her stomach turned. She had worked mainly in narcotics, but had run across more than one case of abuse. She could feel her trigger finger itching to take a shot the way it always did when she came across some of the sick bastards who used their kids as toys or sold their bodies to get a fix.

"I can't even imagine..," She offered, knowing it sounded trite, but not knowing what else to say.

"Don't! Don't do that," He leaned across the table, laying a hand on her arm, "he was a victim, but he's more than that now and if you underestimate Norma, you will be putting your life on the line."

"Here we go..." Norma's voice fell off as she entered with room, her eyes going to the sheriff's hand on Marion's arm.

The sheriff pulled his hand back slowly as he sat back in his chair, "Thanks, Mom."

* * *

The change in the room was palpable. Norma's chatter had been replaced by the sound of scraping forks as they quickly ate the apple pie Norma had topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

She was taking large bites, trying to hurry the end of the meal along. She must not have been the only one who was uncomfortable, because the sheriff stood as soon as he finished his dessert, tipping his head toward the door and saying, "Well, let's get you back to the station."

She stood, grateful for an escape from the tension.

Breaking glass caused them both to startle. Norma stood, her wine glass in pieces, holding the pointed stem in her hand as she glared at the Sheriff, "You're leaving again!"

"Mom, we came in the same car. I'm just running her back to the station," Norma turned accusing eyes toward her. "We haven't had any time together tonight! This is all your fault!" Norma's voice was barely contained rage.

"Mom, we're talking about this in the kitchen," The sheriff said, grabbing Norma's arm and pulling her with him as he left the room.

Okay, so that was Norma pissed. She certainly wasn't going to forget that look anytime soon.

"What are you doing bringing that whore into my house?" Norma screeched.

Or that voice.

The sheriff's reply was low, but terse enough that she could hear his harsh whisper reverberate through the door. She looked to where Norma had been sitting, there were broken shards of glass, but no glass stem. She really hoped the sheriff had thought to disarm Norma when he dragged her into the kitchen.

It was none of her business, whatever was happening in the other room. She should stay right where she was, but the door into the kitchen was open just wide enough that if she got closer she would be able to see into the room and could make sure the Sheriff wasn't about to get his neck sliced open.

She was glad now that she left her shoes by the front door. Walking on her toes she made her way to the door hoping that the angle at which it hung open would allow her to see without being seen.

She could see the Sheriff's shoulder and a part of his profile as she peered into the other room. He was standing so close to Norma that it was hard to tell where one of them ended and the other began. Which meant there was no way she still had the glass stem in her hands. She knew that she should stop watching, but now that she could actually hear the sheriff's words her curiosity was getting the better of her.

"Of course, I'm coming right back. Have I ever not come home when I said I would?"

Norma was shaking her head in response, "You like her!"

"I need her! No one else in town wants the job because they're afraid of what you'll do!"

Her shocked intake of breath gave away her position. The Sheriff's shoulder barely flinched in acknowledgement, but Norma's eyes lit on her instantly. She was really starting to regret disarming at the door. Norma moved, trying to break free of the hold Sheriff Massett had on her. Instead he pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her waist.

It was a successful move, in that it refocused Norma's attention back to the Sheriff.

"Norma?" Sheriff Massett's voice was strained as he spoke. She couldn't see his face, but something changed in Norma's as she looked at Sheriff Massett, a small smile touching the corner of her lips. Lips that were getting closer and closer to the Sheriff's lips. She had to slap a hand over her own mouth to keep from making a sound as the Sheriff dipped his head and kissed his brother? Mother? Lover?

* * *

The slamming of the car door jarred her back to reality. She had been working on auto-pilot after sitting back down to finish her dessert. The sound of her fork against the plate not doing enough to cover the breathy moans and sighs coming from the other room. Sounds that she was quite certain were for her benefit.

She watched as the Sheriff slid into the seat next to her. "I took the money," she said as he flipped the ignition.

"I know. I wouldn't have hired you if I thought you were innocent."

They pulled on to the road heading back toward town. She noticed the pale traces of lipstick Norma had left behind on the Sheriff's cheek shimmering in the light reflecting through the windshield. She thought about mentioning it, but...

"He said he loved me, then he took the money and left me holding the bag."

The sheriff nodded in acknowledgment, "So the rules are?"

She swallowed, "If Norma comes and asks me to go somewhere with her, I run. If Norma shows up pretending to be Norman, I run."

The Sheriff nodded as she spoke. "Now, there's one more thing and this is important, Marion."

"More important than the fact that I'm a dirty cop and your brother has an alternate personality that might try to murder me?"

"No, but it is important," Maybe finishing that dessert had been a bad idea. She had the feeling it might be making a return engagement any moment now.

"Now, I don't like to do it, but sometimes we need Norma to help us out on something. If I need help, you find Norma and tell her and she will do whatever it takes to help me. You got that?"

"Yeah, I, uh... got it." She hadn't sounded so uncertain since the first time a boy had asked to kiss her.

"If you can only find Norman, take him to the house and ask for Norma, she'll come out."

"Okay," She had to ask, though she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer, "And, why would we ever need Norma to help us?"

"White Pine Bay has a lot of secrets and a part of our job is to keep the balance between those secrets and the rest of the town. Sometimes that means we step outside the law. Do you have a problem with that?"

They were almost back to the bypass. Back to the new home she had chosen and it seems had chosen her in return. "No, Sir. I don't."

"Good, I'm glad. I had a feeling about you. I think everything's gonna be just fine," She wasn't sure who Massett was trying to reassure, her or himself.

"Whatever you need, Sheriff, just let me know."

"That's just what I wanted to hear, Marion." The Sheriff sounded genuinely pleased.

They were almost back to the station before the sheriff spoke again, "Oh, and another thing, Marion."

"Yes, Sir?" She hoped there weren't any more big surprises tonight. She wasn't sure she could take much more.

"You need to know that if you ever do anything to hurt my brother," the Sheriff turned to her, his face stone, "I will kill you."

Well, at least he was straightforward about it, "Understood, Sir."

The End


End file.
